
COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



NEGLECTED POINTS 

OF 

AUCTION BRIDGE 

BY 

CARL EHLERMANN, JR. / 




HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 
NEW YORK & LONDON 



Neglected Points of Auction Bridge 

Copyright, 1916, by Harper & Brothers 
Printed in the United States of America 
Published February, J9i6 

B-Q 

FEB 21 1916' ^ 

©aA41S929 ^ 






CONTENTS 




CHAP. 




PAGE 


I. 


Inferences 


I 


II. 


Counting 


7 


III. 


Empha-Sizing Strength 


I zl 


IV. 


Passing 


IQ 


V. 


Doubling , . . .... 




VI. 


Keeping the Flag Flying 


^ I 


VII. 


Covering Honors 


35 


VIII 


. Ace, King, Queen, and Six Others in Two 








4-Q 


IX. 


Miscellaneous 


=;8 




I. Controlling Adversary's Lead . . 


S8 

0^ 






61 




3. Postponing Trump Lead 


64 




4. Taking Out Opponents* Entry . . 


68 


Appendix. The Laws of Auction 


70 




(By courtesy of the Whist Club, New York City) 








70 






70 






73 






73 



PAGE 

Cutting Out 74 

Right of Entry 74 

Shuffling 75 

The Deal 75 

A New Deal 76 

The Declaration 78 

Doubling and Redoubling 82 

Dummy 83 

Cards Exposed before Play 85 

Cards Exposed during Play 86 

Leads Out of Turn 88 

Cards Played in Error 89 

The Revoke 90 

General Laws 93 

New Cards 94 

Bystanders 94 

Etiquette of Auction 94 



PREFACE 



The bridge literature of to-day is commonly 
unacceptable to experienced players because it 
deals principally with fundamentals rather than 
with subtleties, and because it cannot be read 
without setting up a bridge-table, laboriously 
sorting a pack of cards, and laying out the hands 
in the diagrams. 

The subtleties which are most frequently neg- 
lected both by bridge players and bridge editors 
are here set forth and fully analyzed, and the way, 
not merely a way, of playing certain situations 
is shown. 

To follow the play it will not be necessary to 
turn to a pack of cards except, possibly, in the 
last chapter, in which the most complex situations 
are dealt with. 

The rules used are those of the New York 
Whist Club of June, 19 15. Among other changes, 
these abolished the bid of the low spade, allow- 
ing the dealer to pass, and making all spade 
bids worth nine; and provided that a bid of a 
greater number of tricks {e,g., three clubs) was 
higher than any bid of a lower number of tricks 
{e. g., two no-trumps). 

October^ 1Q15. 



NEGLECTED POINTS 

OF 

AUCTION BRIDGE 



NEGLECTED POINTS 

OF 

AUCTION BRIDGE 



I 

INFERENCES 

To play a first-class game it is essential not only 
that you can draw correct and subtle inferences, 
but that you actually do so, play after play. If, 
for instance, in a trump hand, dummy at your left 
has a side suit of several small cards and leads 
one of them, your partner plays low, declarant 
takes with the ace, while you hold king and 
others, then you must place the queen in 3'our 
partner's hand. If the declarant had ace and 
queen, would he not ordinarily have finessed ? 

To make a list of all inferences is impossible, 
since the}^ are innumerable, each hand presenting 
many possibilities. There are, however, several 

underlying principles which should be mastered: 

I 



1. You shotild infer, rather than remember. 
Do not merely see, or even remember, the four 
cards of a trick, but also infer from each one of 
them. If, in the illustration just given, you had 
merely remembered the fotu* cards and then, 
at the end of the game, tried to remember" the 
queen, yon would probabl}^ fail. But if you pic- 
ture the queen in 3'our partner's hand it will be 
eas}' enough later to ''remember" where the 
queen is. Observation, rather than memory, 
makes good pla\^ers. 

2. Consider not onl}^ what is done, but what 
is left undone. Suppose against a declared trump 
you lead the king, then ace, from ace, king, and 
two small ones ; dumim^^ has four small ones ; 3^our 
partner plays the 2 and the 3, and declarant the 
10 and jack: that is, the play is as follows: 



Opening lead 
king, then ace 
(x X remain- 
ing) 



DIAGRAM I 
X X 

(x X remaining) 



Dummv 



You 



Your 
Partner 



Declarant 



2, then 3 



10, then jack 
(x means a card smaller than the 10) 



Your partner's two, three, is not so important 
as the negative fact that he did not play the 
three, two, and thus echo. He must have an- 
other, which is obvioush' the queen. 

In this connection it may be noted that, ac- 
cording to the better usage, the echo should not 
be used with the queen and two others, but only 
to show the ability" to ruil the third round of the 
suit. 

Suppose, against a trump make, you open a jack 
suit witn your fourth best; dummy has several 
small ones, and 3^our partner takes with the king, 
declarant playing low. While declarant might 
be holding off Vvith the ace, it is highly probable 
that your partner has it. What 3-0U can be quite 
sure of, however, is that your partner does not 
hold the queen. 

Or, again, suppose the dealer bids a no-trump 
and all pass. You open with a small heart, 
and dumm\'^ lays down this hand: 

A,K of hearts 

Q, J, 10, X, X, X of diamonds 
X, X, X of clubs 
X, X of spades. 

You hold K, X, X in diamonds. Dummy neces- 
sarily takes the first heart trick, and then leads 
a small club, which declarant finesses, and you 
take. The positive inference, that declarant is 
strong in clubs, is obvious. The negative inference 

3 



from his leaving the diamonds untouched is 
equally important. Why doesn't declarant estab- 
lish dummy's diamonds while the ace of hearts 
is still in dummy's hand? Does the declarant 
lack the ace of diamonds? Or, if he has it, is it 
a singleton so that he can still not make the 
diamond suit ? Or is it possible that the declarant 
has no more hearts and dummy's remaining high 
heart is not in fact a certain entry ? Even if 3^ou 
draw the wrong inference, at least draw one. It 
is better to have inferred and lost than never to 
have inferred at all. 

3. Put yourself in the other player's place. 
Leave your own seat, so to speak, and sit in the 
chair of the person whose play you are diagnosing. 
Pass before your mind's eye the various hands 
from which you would have played as he did. 
In the first illustration (when you placed the 
queen in your partner's hand) it would be hard 
for you to draw an inference by merely looking 
at the declarant's ace, and the king in your own 
hand. Put yourself in declarant's place and im- 
agine yourself holding the ace and queen and not 
taking the finesse. 

4. Infer from bidding, not only in a general 
way as each bid is made, but specifically during 
the play of the hand. It is not enough for you to 
know that a dealer who passes has not this make 
or that. If later he plays two aces, you must ask 
yourself whether he would have passed had he a 
third ace, or other substantial assistance. 

4 



The suggestion previously made, to put your- 
self in the other player's place, applies equally 
to bidding. Do not, as a rule, take another 
player's bid as a starting-point, and then try to 
infer what it means. Momentarily forget the bid 
in question. Put 3'ourself in the bidder's place. 
Review the bids previous to his. Marshal before 
yourself, still in his place, the hands on which you 
would have bid as he did. You will be surprised 
to find, when you go back to your own hand, what 
an insight you have into his. 

5. Draw inferences from leads, not only at the 
time of the lead and in the suit led, but subse- 
quently and in other suits. Against a spade make, 
with no other bidding, your partner opens a small 
heart, which you read as his fourth best. He 
probably has neither the ace nor the king, since a 
low lead from either would be an inferior opening. 
If subsequently your partner takes a diamond 
trick with the king, you know that he has not the 
queen of diamonds, and should know also that he 
has not the ace. Would he have opened with a 
low heart if he had the ace and king of diamonds ? 

While the foregoing suggestions are aimed at 
those sources of inference which are most fre- 
quently overlooked, yet, after all, the principal 
thing is to infer continually. Get the full mean- 
ing from every word and every play. Infer so 
steadily that at last, in the common cases at 
least, you unconsciously infer the moment you 
see. 

2 5 



A word of caution is necessary. Do not abide 
stubbornly by an early inference when subsequent 
plays show an unexpected situation. That first 
inference (placing the queen when declarant 
played the ace and you held the king) was well 
drawn, but later it may appear that the declarant 
is going to make a long low suit in dummy and 
could discard the queen if he happens to hold it. 
Infer continually, but let your inferences be 
facile, not rigid. 



II 



COUXTIXG 

Closely akin to inferring and, in a sense, part 
of it, is "counting.'* By this, technically, is 
generally meant counting the number of cards 
which a player holds in a given suit. If, for in- 
stance, your partner fails in the third round of 
tnmips, it is not enough to remember that he 
has no more. You must count the exact number 
of trumps which the declarant holds. 

When a player leads A, K, showing no more, 
or plays the down-and-out echo, or leads a two, 
which you read as his fourth best, you must 
not only count the number of cards he holds, or 
remember that he has no more, but must count 
the nimiber of cards in that suit which the other 
player holds. 

Having counted the number of cards in one or 
more suits, subtraction will frequently allow you 
to count the rest of the hand. If the dealer has 
three spades, two hearts, and some clubs, count 
the total nimiber of cards in his hand and de- 
termine precisely how many clubs he has. 



All this is simple enough and nothing nevr, but 
the difficulty is players do not count play after 
play. Counting, to many, is like a familiar word 
understood when heard, but never on the tip of 
their own tongues. 

In the foregoing illustrations, the object was to 
count the exact number of cards in one hand. 
Frequenth" it is enough to count the number of 
cards in two hands jointly, to show that what- 
ever the exact distribution, a play is safe. Sup- 
pose, placing against a trump make, you lead 
the king of spades from A, K, J, lo. Dimmiy 
has four small ones, and your partner and declar- 
ant both follow low. Aside from whatever in- 
formation 3^ou gather from your partner's card, 
as indicating his echoing or not, you need not 
wait for your A, J, to be led to. As four cards 
have been played, and 3'ou and dtmimy each 
hold three, your partner and declarant together 
can have only three cards in that suit. If de- 
clarant holds the queen it must be singleton, 
or, if not, then your partner can rufl the third 
round. 

In addition to counting cards, it is frequently 
necessary to count tricks. Suppose, at a love- 
all score, the declarant, playing a no-trump, 
takes your opening spade lead with his ace, 
leaving you four tricks in spades, if 3^ou oan get 
in. It then becomes apparent that declarant can 
take also seven hearts and diamonds, making a 
total of eight tricks. Dimimv has the king and 

8 



several small clubs. You don't know where the 
ace of clubs is, but if declarant holds it he can 
certainly go game. You need not, therefore, 
break your hand trying to keep a club protected. 
Your game is lost unless your partner has the 
ace of clubs and gives you a spade. Of course, 
if it were plain that the declarant holds the ace, 
you must abandon the hope of saving game, and 
save as many tricks as possible, or perhaps pre- 
vent a slam. 

In all cases of counting the principal thing is 
actually to observe and count. Two suggestions 
may, however, be of value. 

When learning to count, separate the cards 
in your hand according to the cards counted and 
not counted. Suppose you know the dealer 
has eight cards, three of which are spades. Do 
not hold your hand in this way : 




Arrange your cards to emphasize the three 
cards, definitely counted, thus: 




9 



If yon then find he has two hearts, separate 
two more cards, and so on. This, more than 
an^^thing else, will call 3'our attention to num- 
bers and counting and help you to derive the bene- 
fit from it. 

When you have learned to count, do not con- 
tinue the habit of arranging cards in this way. 
It is poor bridge, and worse form, pardonable 
only as a temporary expedient. 

The second suggestion is the rule of five. When 
a major suit is bid, credit the bidder with at least 
five, and, if bid by him persistently, with at least 
six. 

If pla^^ng wdth a group of players in which 
minor suits are not bid on top cards alone, say, 
A, K, X, but on top cards with a willingness to play 
at that make, unless something better offers, then 
the rule of five can be applied to minor suits also. 

Occasionall}^ you will find that there are fewer 
cards {e. g., A, K, Q, x), or more cards, in the 
bidding hand than the rule calls for, but in the 
majorit}^ of cases yon will find the rule helpful. 

If a player who, when holding five or more 
hearts or spades always takes his partner out of 
a no-trump, does not do so, credit him with at 
most four spades or hearts. If later he bids a 
heart or spade, 3^ou should credit him with exactly 
four of the suit. This five-card take-out is excel- 
lent. At advanced scores it can be used in the 
minor suits also. 

The rule of five is, of course, useful not only in 
10 



counting the declarant's trumps, but your part- 
ner's also. Many a game is lost in trying to give 
one's partner a ruff when the rule of five would 
have shown that he had no more trumps, and the 
only play was to try another suit before a long 
suit in dimimy was made up. 

The advantage of counting speaks for itself. An 
illustration, however, may be helpful to show how 
far counting may lead when the first card is played. 

Suppose at a twenty-four all-score, the dealer 
bids a club, second hand (your partner) passes, 
third hand bids a diamond, and you get the bid 
at one heart. The dealer, now the opening leader, 
leads the two of spades, and your hand and 
drmimy's are as follows: 



DIAGRAM 2 

3 hearts 

3 spades 

4 clubs 

3 diamonds 



Bid one club 
Leads 2 of 
spades 



Dummy 
Leader 

You (Declarant) 



Third 
Hand 



Bid one 
diamond 



5 hearts 
3 spades 

2 diamonds 

3 clubs 

Ji 



The two of spades is probably the fourth best. 
If it were a singleton, third hand would prob- 
ably have bid a spade. This gives the leader 
four spades and third hand three spades. 

The game being twenty-four all, all suits are 
major. The rule of five gives the leader five 
clubs, leaving one club to the third hand. The 
same rule gives the third hand five diamonds and 
the leader three diamonds. This accounts for 
twelve cards in the leader's hand and nine in the 
third hand. The leader must have one heart, 
and the third hand four. 

The probable distribution of cards among your 
opponents is, therefore, as follows: 

The Leader Third Hand 

I heart 4 hearts 

4 spades 3 spades 

3 diamonds 5 diamonds 

5 clubs I club 

Will 3"0U not, in trumps, finesse far more suc- 
cessfull}^ with this information than without it ? 

Having counted in this way, you should draw 
inferences as to the high cards. The leader prob- 
ably has neither the ace nor the king of spades, 
since a low lead from either would be an in- 
ferior opening, etc., etc. 

In counting, the same caution is necessar}^ as 

with inferences. Deductions early in the hand 

are not always certainties. Adapt yoiurself to all 

12 



information at hand. Above all, count and 
infer even if, at times, incorrectly. Your total 
gains will more than counterbalance occasional 
losses. 

A second caution is also necessar}^ in both 
counting and inferring. Give heed to the con- 
ventions, skill, and idiosyncrasies of the ones you 
are playing with. Reconsider diagram 2, for 
instance — ^in which you counted all hands when 
the first card was played — and assume that your 
opponents bid clubs and diamonds on tops alone, 
even when the score is twenty-four all. In that 
case you will not count fast or far. 



Ill 



EMPHASIZING STRENGTH 

As soon as possible, determine the ability of the 
players at your table. If you and 3^our partner 
are superior to your opponents, be more venture- 
some in bidding, or play for penalties, rather than 
rubber; if inferior, be more cautious; and, as 
between partners, when other considerations leave 
3^ou in doubt whether to bid your suit or your 
partner's, bid the suit of the better player. You 
should not, of course, base your play upon rela- 
tive ability alone, but should give it due consid- 
eration. 

Have a clear idea of whose skill is in question. 
In making 3'Our contract, it is a question of your 
or your partner's single-handed skill against that 
of your opponents. In defeating an adverse 
make, it is the joint skill of yourself and partner 
against that of one opponent. It may even be a 
question of one player against another; for in- 
stance, when all high cards evidently lie between 
you and the opposing bidder. It is never, in the 

14 



play of the hand, a question of two partners 
against two opponents. 

In straight bridge, relative skill affords a scien- 
tific and conclusive basis for the choice of seats. 
If your opponents have cut the deal and chosen 
seats, let the stronger of you sit at the dealer's 
left. On the first deal, the stronger will then 
have the important, opening lead; on the second, 
he will play the hand; on the third, though the 
opening lead is now equalized, he w411 still have 
played one hand more than his partner, and only 
on the fourth deal will stronger and weaker stand 
alike. Conversely, a player w^ho has cut the deal 
should choose seats so that, tmless his opponents 
change their position, the weaker opponent will 
be at the dealer's left. 

In Auction, since the dealer is not necessarily 
the declarant, the choice of seats is less important 
and the correct principle less clearly established. 
Moreover, the system of scoring has so frequently 
and so recently been changed, and methods of 
bidding still vary so widely, that it is too early to 
reach a definite conclusion as to whether the dealer 
or his partner is more likely to be the final de- 
clarant. I believe it is the dealer, and, as between 
opponents, second hand, rather than fourth. 
Furthermore, I consider the deal a slight advan- 
tage. It is all-important to attack vigorously, 
and the dealer can frequently do so, or at least 
forestall an adverse attack, when he could not 
do so in any other position. While recognizing 

15 



the tentative nature of the conclusion, I there- 
fore beheve that in Auction, too, the first dealer 
should attempt to have the weaker opponent 
at his left, while his opponents should definitely 
place the stronger of them to the left of the first 
deal. 

Occasionally it is wise to choose seats according 
to the peculiarities of a certain player. An oppo- 
nent who grossly fails to cover honors should, if 
possible, be put at the left of a strong, observant 
player, so that the latter may have an oppor- 
tunity to lead through. 

Thoughtful choice of seats may seem unim- 
portant and fine-spun. The fact is, rubber upon 
rubber is lost by an inferior play by the weaker 
player which would never have been made by the 
stronger, and the opponents should, therefore, at- 
tempt to put the weaker where he will do most 
harm. Moreover, there are hundreds of plays 
which one by one may seem unimportant and in- 
frequent, but which, taken together, give a 
commanding advantage. 

In choosing seats and emphasizing the weaker 
player, the demands of courtesy should not be 
overlooked; and in a loose game, with few pen- 
alties enforced, scientific choice of seats may not 
accord with the spirit of the play. But in a 
rigorous game choose seats carefully. 

The principle of emphasizing the stronger 
player may control as to rules enforceable by either 
partner and permitting them to say, ''Partner, 

I6 



will you determine the penalty?*' More fre- 
quently, however, it w411 be a similar, though 
slightly different principle. This is to let the de- 
cision be made by the hand which is the impor- 
tant one on the whole deal or in the single play 
in question. Suppose your partner, as dealer, 
bids a no-trump; second hand, two clubs; you 
and fourth hand pass; your partner bids two 
no-trumps, and second hand then makes an un- 
derbid of two clubs. If doubling is your play, 
correct the underbid and double; or, if you have 
a very poor hand and wish to wean your partner 
from no-trumps, correct the underbid and pass. 
Do not correct thoughtlessly. Your partner, who 
has the important hand on that deal, may be 
eager to play no-trumps, especially so if you are 
ten or more on the game. Why force him to 
bid three? If 3^ou are ready to bid two no- 
trumps, consider, nevertheless, whether you 
should ask your partner as to the penalty. Why 
hastily deprive him of what may be a golden 
opportunity to double three clubs, especially if 
you are a game ahead and a dash for rubber is 
not imperative? Whatever you do, do not blindly 
correct the underbid, hesitate, and finally over- 
bid with three no-trumps. 

Always scrutinize every detail. If your partner 
has been bidding a suit instead of no-trumps, 
and your opponents eventually make an under- 
bid in another suit, then you have no information 
as to your partner's holding in the adverse suit. 

17 



This difference may not change the result, but 
requires consideration. 

Another example: Dummy at your right holds 
the queen, jack, and ten of a suit in which you 
hold the king and others. Dummy cannot pos- 
sibly get the lead to play through your king, 
but declarant leads dummy's queen by mistake. 
On this play yours is the important hand. Pro- 
tect your king. Correct the lead. But if you do 
not hold the king, and it is immaterial to you 
who leads, let your partner decide. The lead 
from dummy may be the master-key to his play. 

In the foregoing example the high cards were 
intentionally specified. When you held the king 
there could be no question of the advisability of 
calling the lead, but frequently there is. Suppose 
dummy at your right holds the ace, jack, and 
nine of trumps, and you the queen and others, 
and dummy's jack is led through you out of 
turn. The declarant probably has the king, ten 
(and others), and, if the queen does not fall from 
your hand, is likely either to pass the jack or take 
with the king and return the ten. If you call 
the lead, declarant may place the queen in your 
hand and eventually lead through you. You 
must try to outguess and outmanoeuver your op- 
ponent. 



IV 



PASSING 

Bidding on insufficient strength is a simple 
fault requiring little discussion. Aside from open- 
ing declarations without high card strength, or 
injudicious sacrifices to save game, overbidding 
probably occurs most frequently when one takes 
an appreciable risk in a non-game-going declara- 
tion for the mere purpose of scoring some points 
toward game — which means all risk with no chance 
of real gain — or, secondly, when, without a single 
raise from one's partner, one persistently bids even 
a game-going declaration — in which case, especially 
if bidding against no-trumps, one should not be 
disappointed by finding practically nothing in his 
partner's hand; or, finally, when one plays no- 
trumps against two declared suits, in which case 
mere stoppers are not enough, unless one can 
immediately run ofi a large ntimber of tricks. 

Passing, though v:ilh sufficient strength to bid, 
is more complex. I shall consider only two phases : 
passing to conceal a suit, and passing because a 
bid is either dangerous or superfluous. 

19 



Suppose, at a love-all score, the opponent £t 
your right deals and bids a no-trump, and 3'our 
hand is as follows : 

Clubs: K, 0, J, X, x, x 
Diamonds: A, x, x 
Hearts: x, x 
Ro^^als: x, x 

Granting th^t your hand is strong enough to 
bid two clubs, you should, nevertheless, pass. 

It is highly improbable that yon can go game 
in clubs, and also improbable that 3'our partner 
can do so with any make against a no-trump. 
Your first object must, therefore, be to save game, 
and your best chance is to establish your clubs 
against a no-trump. Why bid and not only 
invite third hand to shift to hearts or spades, but 
also give the dealer a certain chance to do so ? 

Sometimes, of course, if you bid you will force 
your opponents to two no-trumps and gain a good 
penalty, and occasionally you may even go game, 
but your infrequent gains in this way will be 
overshadowed by the points and games you lose 
by inducing a shift. 

You cannot attack ever}' moment. Be satisfied 
with the defensive at times. 

Do not, however, be too eager to conceal a 
suit, for this is purely a defensive measure and 
you cannot win by a continual, passive defense. 
Before concealing suits give attentive considera- 
tion, therefore, to each detail. The foregoing 
hand, for instance, contains the following points: 

20 



1. Your score is love. You presumably cannot 
go game. Compare point 4. 

2. Your opponents' score is low. If you force 
them to two no-trumps, you will increase the 
nimiber of tricks necessary for them to make their 
contract, but not the number of tricks necessary 
to make game. A bid which makes both game 
and contract more difficult is frequently justified 
when one making only contract more difficult 
is not. 

3. Your opponents' make is no-trumps. Your 
suit is more powerful against that make than any 
other. 

4. Your make would he clubs. This is not usu- 
ally considered a game-going declaration, espe- 
cially against a no-trump, and of all possible 
declarations is the worst with which to keep the 
flag flying. 

5. You have only simple honors in clubs. If you 
continue bidding and sacrifice to save game, you 
will not have a large honor score to reduce your 
loss. 

6. You have not heard from your partner. If, 
contrary to probabilities, your partner has a 
prospect of game, or if he is strong enough to 
indicate a suit for you to lead, he will bid in spite 
of your pass. If your partner had bid a diamond 
you should pass. If he had bid a heart or spade, 
leaving only one game-going suit to the oppo- 
nents, it would be a close question whether you 
should pass or not. 

3 21 



7- You hauC not heard from the adversary at your 
left. This is not so important as any declaration 
from him would have been. 

8. You are weak in hearts and royals. Even if 
strong in one of the two, it is frequently better to 
pass. 

9. You have a sure re-entry, 

10. You have the opening lead. If you were 
fourth hand you should bid 3^our clubs to indicate 
the suit for your partner to lead. This ma}^ 
invite a shift, but, not having the lead, you would 
lose little. 

Some of the foregoing points are of slight, 
others of great, importance. If a hand differs 
from this one in some respects, do not immediately 
conclude that your bid will be different. Consider 
the whole situation. 

Concealing a suit against a suit bid is usually 
bad. Bidding one suit against another is less 
likely to invite the opponents to shift, and, even 
if they do so, \'ou are frequently as strong as 
before. Furthermore, the opponents* suit bid, as 
distinguished from a no-trump, indicates concen- 
trated rather than distributed strength and you 
and your partner may have a ver\^ good chance 
for game in a suit or even in no-trumps. You 
should give your partner what information you 
safely can. Finalh^ even if you and your partner 
have not a game-going declaration, you should 
take such points above and below the line as 3^ou 
can without serious risk. 

22 



There are, however, cases where a suit should 
be concealed against another. Suppose the dealer 
at a love-all score bids a spade. Your partner 
and third hand pass, and you have a club bid, 
considerable strength in spades, but no hearts. 
It is safer to leave the opponents in their spade 
bid than to take the chances of their bidding a 
heart. 

Similar to concealing a suit entirely, whether 
against a no-trump or a suit bid, is a refusal to 
raise your own or your partner's bid, hoping to 
keep the opponents in a declaration in which 
you can save game, or even win a penalty. This, 
too, is frequently effective (especially when your 
suit is a minor suit and your opponents are bidding 
two suits), but is to be adopted with caution. 

I turn now to passing because a bid is either 
dangerous or superfluous. 

Suppose at a love-all score you deal and bid a 
heart, and fourth hand bids a spade, and that 
you have no prospect of game, but just enough to 
bid two hearts. You should pass. You are play- 
ing with twenty-six cards, not thirteen. If your 
partner can raise, he will, unless he prefers to lie 
in wait for the spades. If he cannot bid, you can- 
not go game, may even fail to make your contract, 
and if your partner has nothing at all you may 
be doubled and lose heavily. If you feel a temp- 
tation to bid to force your opponents to two 
spades, remember not only that you would your- 
self be making an unsound bid in the hope that 

23 



your opponents would also do so, but especially 
that your position would be worse than theirs. 
You are raising without information from your 
partner. The opponent (at your right) who has 
bid spades, cannot possibly bid again without 
hearing from his partner. 

Passing because a bid is dangerous or superflu- 
ous is also a defensive measure, and one not to 
be adopted without careful consideration. The 
situation in the foregoing hand is completely 
different, if the opponent at your right is the dealer 
and bids a spade. You must then bid your two 
hearts. Your danger of being set is the same as 
before, but it is no longer an unnecessary one. 
You must show your suit once. 

Having discussed only a few cases of passing, 
do not conclude that there are no others. A 
large number of bids actually made should, in 
fact, be passed. Attack vigorously and help 
your partner to do so, but know when not to be- 
gin, or, having begun, when to stop. 



V 



DOUBLING 

I shall not consider the general question 
whether it is advisable to pass, double, or bid, 
but shall address myself only to certain neglected 
phases of doubling. 

Free doubles (that is, doubles when opponents 
will go game by making their contract, though 
undoubled) are too common. When you double 
and win, you gain an extra fifty a trick, but when 
you lose, you lose fifty a trick and double the 
opponents' score below the line. You may also 
be redoubled. You should not, therefore, double 
merely because opponents ''would go game any- 
way," or because you "always double five." 

Other doubles, however, are too seldom made 
by experienced players. You should be more 
cautious than with a free double, but if you abso- 
lutely never gave your opponents game by 
doubling, you would meanwhile miss thousands 
of points that should be yours. 

There is no simple answer to the question, 
25 



''What IS necessary to double?" Doubling hands 
are infinite in variety, and conventional require- 
ments practically do not exist. It will, however, 
be helpful to use one of the two following rules 
(to determine whether you have sufficient strength 
to double, but not whether doubling is the best 
course). For free doubles your hand, and your 
partner's as indicated by his bidding, should 
be reasonably certain to give you your book with 
the probability of one more, and for other doubles 
reasonably certain to give one over your book 
with a probability of another; or, secondly (a 
more conservative rule), for free doubles, your 
hand should promise one over your book with a 
probability of one more, and for other doubles, 
two over, with or without the possibility of an- 
other. But these rules are not far-reaching, for 
with infinite variation in hands and bidding there 
is no effective rule (save simple rules for begin- 
ners) to determine what your hand is worth or 
your partner's. The most that can be said is that 
after you have carefully estimated your tricks, 
you should not, in doubling, fall below the stand- 
ard of the first rule nor wait to exceed that of the 
second. 

In some communities, doubling of a suit which 

has been called over your partner's no-trump 

implies that you have the suit twice stopped. 

You must, of course, note what conventional 

interpretation would be given your double. 

If you extend your doubling when not free, 
26 



you will face a new danger which seldom confronts 
you in free doubles. This is that 3"0ur opponents 
may elude you by changing the make. 

The question of escape is fourfold: 

First, will your opponents try to escape? If 
they have been bidding two suits and you have 
no strength in the first, and your partner has 
show^n no strength in it, doubling the second will 
frequently prove futile, merely driving the op- 
ponents back to their first suit. If, however, 
your opponents have bid only one suit and you 
double, they very seldom try four in a new suit, 
not infrequently three, very often two. 

Secondly, will a shift, if made, be successful? If 
your partner bids a no-trtimp, second hand two 
spades, in which you are strong, and you double, 
your opponents are not very likely either to try 
to escape or to escape successfully. Your partner 
can supposedly take care of the other three suits. 
If, however, your partner bids a spade which gives 
little, if any, information as to the other suits, 
and second hand bids two clubs, and you double 
with weakness in diamonds and hearts, the door 
is wide open to a successful shift. 

Thirdly, would a shift be on better, or worse, 
terms? If your partner bids a no-trump, second 
hand two spades, and you double, your opponents 
can escape only on worse terms. Eliminating 
their highly improbable bid of two no-trumps, 
they must raise their contract to three. Of the 
three available suits, all of which are worth less 

27 



than spades above and below the line, two — clubs 
and diamonds — require more tricks at most scores 
to go game. 

Fourthly, if you will be unable to double after 
a shift, are you still in a strong position? Recent- 
ly, with seven spades and six clubs, I bid a spade 
as dealer, and fourth hand bid two clubs. I bid 
two spades and fourth hand went, unwisely, to 
three clubs. I was reasonably certain of four odd 
in spades or of setting my opponents three or 
more. Being a game ahead and, therefore, hav- 
ing a three-to-one chance of going rubber later, 
I preferred a penalty of three hundred or more to 
rubber; and having little chance of forcing the 
opponents up to four clubs, I doubled three. 
The opponents bid three diamonds. I bid three 
spades and went game. Escape into diamonds or 
hearts was patent, but my spades still controlled 
the situation. 

In considering the chance of escape, every de- 
tail of bidding is important. Always notice what 
bids have been made, and which players have 
not had a chance to bid. 

Two other points as to doubling: If you prefer 
a penalty to playing the hand, and can double 
successfully, be cautious in trying to force the 
opponents up. When you can strike a telling 
blow, strike. The stronger you are, the less likely 
your opponents are to raise, especially if you 
intend to double the opponent at your right, 
for, by the time the bid reaches him his partner 



may have passed and have frightened him from 
a contemplated bid. 

The other point is but a variation of the fore- 
going one. It concerns the rule, "Never double 
a bid of one." Doubling one is almost invariably 
premature, but, when a suitable hand comes, 
double. Suppose the dealer, at your right, bids 
a no-tnmip at a love-all score, and you hold this 
hand (which is based on an actual hand with only 
a slight change to make my meaning clear) : 

Spades: ace, queen, knave 

Hearts: " 

Diamonds: king, queen, knave 
Clubs: " " "ten 

The dealer (rightly or wrongly) has apparently 
bid on two aces and two kings, and whether you 
or the dealer plays no-trumps you are fairly cer- 
tain of nine tricks. Since there are no aces to be 
scored, you should prefer a penalty of 300 to 
game, or even rubber, for, according to Chapter 
VI, 300 would, on the average, net more than a 
rubber of 280 (250 and three odd). You cannot 
hope to force the opponents up and you cannot 
risk bidding a suit and being left in, for your 
going game in any suit is at least doubtful. 
Double. If your opponents shift, you can again 
double, or if you then prefer game to a penalty, 
you can still bid two no-trumps and go game. 

This would, of course, be an unusual hand, but 
unusual hands test all-embracing rules. 

A convention is now being tested, but is not 
29 



yet firmly established, according to which dou- 
bling a bid of one in a declared trump means 
strength in the other three suits, and calls for a 
no-trump bid from the partner, or his best suit. 
Conventional meanings, as has already been said, 
must be observed in doubling. 



VI 

KEEPING THE FLAG FLYIXG 

There has been much inaccurate reasoning on 
the number of points which can be profitably 
sacrificed to save rubber (that is, the third game, 
not the second, although the latter ma}" end the 
rubber). One writer goes so far as to recommend 
400 to SCO, but a loss of over 300 does not really 
merit serious consideration, while the conservative 
limit is at most 200. 

When bidding to save rubber, you cannot fore- 
tell whether your bid will stand and what 3^our 
loss will be. One who is ready to lose only 200 
bids differently, however, from one willing to 
lose more. The amount which can, in theory, be 
sacrificed profitably is, therefore, important. 

Suppose 3"ou do not overbid, but allow your 
opponents to go game. They will score 250 and 
a score below the line which varies continually, 
but for which 35 may be taken as a rough and 
ready average. The\^ will usually score honors 
also, say, 35 on the average, making a total score 
on that plav of, sav, 320. 

'31 



Suppose you sacrifice and lose 300, or, deducting 
honors, say, net 265. If you do this in two rub- 
bers you must, on the average, in an evenly 
matched game, win one rubber and lose the other. 
If you win, your loss of 265 will be offset by, 
say, 320 (estimated as before) or 55 net in your 
favor. If you lose the rubber, your loss of 265 
will be increased by, say, 320, making a total 
of 585. The average of the two rubbers is a loss 
of 265. 

Of course, after you lose 300, there may be 
other penalties for or against you, but these 
eventually tend to balance. By losing 300 you 
apparently lose only 265 on the average as con- 
trasted with 320 if you allow your opponents to 
go rubber. 

A gross loss of 300 would, therefore, seem justi- 
fied, especially if your net loss when being set 
is considerably less, say because of your holding 
four honors in one hand, or if you stand a better 
chance of winning the rubber, for instance when 
you excel your opponents in play. A loss of 
400, however, is clearly unjustifiable. There is 
no middle point. A loss of 350, being set seven 
tricks, would not only mean wantonly reckless 
bidding, but would require a miracle to prevent 
a double and a loss of 700. 

But the justification for a loss of 300 is apparent 
only. It rests, in fact, on a false premise. You 
assume that a sacrifice is necessary. What proof 
have you that your opponents will go gamer 

32 



I venture to say that a majority of sacrifices are 
unnecessary. 

If 300 is a wise sacrifice to prevent a certain 
loss of rubber, what is a reasonable sacrifice to 
prevent an uncertain but possible loss of mbber ? 
There is no definite mathematical answer. But 
does it not seem that a loss of 300 (with some re- 
duction) is excessive to prevent a possible loss of 
250 (with some additions), and that the consen'a- 
tive limit is at the very most 200? 

Change these rough and ready figures, if you 
will, and make them statistically accurate. The 
result is substantially the same. 

In some cases almost any sacrifice is unwise. 
If your principal object is to win a match of sev- 
eral rubbers, and if you begin the last rubber so 
much ahead that you cannot lose unless you are 
set, then 3^ou should certainly not imperil the 
match in an eft'ort to win the last rubber. Also, 
if you are outclassed in play, almost any sacrifice 
will, on the average, prove over-costb'. 

The foregoing method, based on averages, 
should be used in answering many other questions 
instead of judging, as is so frequently done, b}' 
the result of a hand or two. For instance, what 
penalty can be suft'ered, to eventual profit, to 
save game at a love-all score, or with a game in, 
or with opponents a game in? And, conversely, 
what penalty must be inflicted at these scores to 
make it profitable to forego game? 

While it is only a generality, yet it is helpful 
33 



to remember this: you cannot win every game 
or rubber. Don't let penalties spoil your winning 
rubbers or aggravate your losses. Have your 
losing rubbers small. Let your opponents sacri- 
fice bravely. Win the big rubbers. This does 
not mean that the fear of penalties should take the 
backbone out of your game, but that you should 
have the percentages play in your favor. 



VII 



COVERING HONORS 

Honors are usually covered second hand on 
some such principle as "cover an honor with an 
honor," or ''king ever, queen never." These are 
rules for beginners only. 

To determine whether you should cover, ask 
yourself these questions : 

1. ''Is there a card in my hand, or possibly 
in my partner's, which can be made good by my 
covering?" 

2. ''What is that card?" 

3. "How, or when, must I cover to make it 
good?" 

To apply these questions : 

At a heart make by your adversary, dimimy has 
the queen and four small hearts and leads the 
queen through you. You hold the king and two 
small ones; that is, the position is: 

35 



Q 



DIAGRAM 3 

3 X, X, X, X 



Dummy 



You 



K, X, X 



Declarant 



Crediting the declarant with five, according to 
the rule of five, your partner has no hearts. 
Even if he had one, you could not possibly make 
it good. Covering is, therefore, needless. Fur- 
thermore, it is positively bad, for many players 
do not finesse with ten cards in suit, and the 
declarant may be leading the queen merely as 
bait, intending to cover with the ace. Such a 
play of declarant is called a *'fake finesse.'* 

A second example: Suppose dummy with Q, 
J, 9 in a side suit, leads the queen through you. 
You hold K, X, x; that is, the position is: 



DIAGRAM 4 



Q, J, 9 



Dummy 



You 



K, X, X 



Declarant 



36 



Assuming the ace to be in declarant's hand, 
there may be a card in your partner's hand 
which can be made good. It is the ten. But 
will your covering the queen make it good? 
If you do cover, and declarant takes with the 
ace, he can then lead, through your partner's 
ten, to the J, 9 in dtmimy. You should, there- 
fore, cover an honor only on the second lead 
through you. 

A consideration of all questions of covering 
honors second hand is impracticable. An analysis 
of several queen plays in side suits can, however, 
be briefly made. These are probably the most 
instructive. 

Suppose dummy has the J, x, x, and leads the 
jack through you. You hold Q, x, x; that is, the 
position is : 



DIAGRAM 5 
J, X, X 





Dummy 




1 

You 


Declarant 



If declarant has A, K, x, your covering may 
make your partner's ten good. If declarant has 
4 37 



the A, ten, your coverin^^ may establish the K, 
nine in 3^our partner's hand, over declarant's ten. 
If declarant has K, ten, your covering may enable 
your partner to take a trick later with a nine. 
If declarant, contrary to the probabilities, has 
only the king and small ones, your covering may 
prevent his taking any tricks in the suit. You 
should, therefore, cover the jack. 

Suppose, however, dummy has the J, lo, x and 
leads the jack through you. You hold Q, 9, x; 
that is, the position is: 



DIAGRAM 6 
J, 10, X 

Dummv 



You 



Q, 9, X 



Declarant 



If declarant has the ace or king alone, or ace 
and king alone, and you cover dummy's jack, the 
queen is wasted, dummy's ten differentiating this 
position from the previous one in this respect. 
If declarant has the ace and small ones, and you 
cover dummy's jack, declarant can take with the 
ace, and the position will then be: 

38 



DIAGRAM 6a 
10, X 



Dummy 



K, X You 9. ^ 

Partner 



Declarant 



If, however, 3^ou had passed the jack when 
dummy led through you, your partner's king 
would take, and the position would then be: . 

DIAGRAM 7 
10, X 

Dummy 



You 



Q,9 



Declarant 



A,x 



You must take another trick if the suit is led 
to you. You, of course, cover the ten. 

If declarant, instead of the ace, had held the 
king and small ones, you gain nothing by cover- 
ing the first time. 

39 



If you held a small card instead of the nine, you 
should play similarly. Whether you and your 
partner take one trick or two depends upon the 
position of the nine. 

Instead of having dummy lead through you 
to declarant, that is, to the concealed hand, 
suppose the declarant leads through you to dum- 
my — that is, to the exposed hand; for instance: 



DIAGRAM 
A, 3, 2 



Q, 5,4 



Dummy 



You 



Declarant 



Leads J 



To determine the correct play, consider the 
combinations from which declarant would be 
likely to lead the jack. They are these: 

1. Jack, or J, lo alone. It is immaterial what 
you play. You cannot gain by covering. 

2. J, ID, 9, with or without others. You can- 
not gain by covering, and if your partner has the 
king alone, you lose a trick by covering. 

3. J, 10, X (x being in this case lower than the 
9), if you cover the jack, the position is similar 

40 



to Diagram 6a. You should pass the jack, but 
cover the ten on the second round. 

4. K, J, 10. You cannot gain by covering, 
and, if you do not cover, declarant may take 
his jack with dummy's ace, and then lead back 
to his K, 10, and finesse the ten, or, especially 
with a long suit, play his king. This double 
form of finessing — a fake-finesse in one direction 
followed by a real or fake-finesse in the other 
direction — can be conveniently called the "criss- 
cross finesse." It may be noted in passing that 
if the suit being led is the trump, declarant prob- 
ably has this K, J, 10 combination. 

These are the most probable combinations from 
which declarant would lead the Jack toward dum- 
my's A, 3, 2. You should not cover. 

There are two other positions from which the 
jack might be led toward the ace, but only in 
very unusual cases. Suppose the position is one 
of the following : 

DIAGRAM 9 



A, 3, 2 





Dummy 


Q, X, X 


You 








Declarant 









K, J, 9 
41 



DIAGRAM lO 



A, 3, 2 





Dummy 


Q, X, X 


You 








Declarant 









K, J, 8 (or lower) 



In the first position, if you cover the declarant's 
jack with your queen, and dummy takes with 
the ace, declarant still has the K, nine over your 
partner's ten. In the second position, by cov- 
ering you do make your partner's ten good 
eventually. Here, then, is a single instance 
where it pays to cover the jack when led to the 
A, X, X in dummy. When declarant leads his 
jack through you, however, you do not know 
from what combination it is led, and you should 
not cover on the remote chance that it is the last 
combination. This, for two reasons. It is the 
only combination, out of several, in which you 
can possibly gain by covering. Furthermore, it 
is highly unlikely that declarant has the K, J, 8 
(or lower) combination, for if so he would almost 
always play low to the ace, and then lead back 
to his K, J. It is only when declarant has placed 
the queen in your hand, either through your 

42 



bidding or a subsequent play, that he would be 
justified in playing in this unusual way. 

In the foregoing leads of the declarant through 
you, dummy had only A, and two very small 
cards. Now suppose dummy has A, lo, x; that 
is, the position is: 

DIAGRAM II 
A, 10, 2 



Q, 5, 4 



Dummy 



You 



Declarant 



T lead 



The probable combinations from which de- 
clarant is leading are these : 

1. Jack alone. If you do not cover, you can 
take two tricks in the suit, but to take them 
neither you nor your partner can lead the suit. 
If you cover, you can take two tricks, and you 
(not your partner) can lead the suit safely. 

2. J, 9. You and your partner can take only 
one trick (assuming, of course, the proper finessing 
by declarant), and it is immaterial whether or 
not you cover, except that if it is a no-trump and 
dummy has no card of entry, then if you cover, 
and your partner takes the second round of the 

43 



suit with his king, the dummy cannot get in to 
make the ten. 

3. J, 9, X. You and your partner can take only 
one trick. It is immaterial whether or not you 
cover, except that if declarant (or dummy) has 
more cards in the suit than those shown in the 
diagram, and your partner has king alone, 3'ou 
will lose a trick by covering. 

As to these three possible combinations, there 
is, therefore, a slight advantage in covering in 
combinations i (J) and 2 (J, g), but a slight 
danger in covering in 3 (J, 9, x and others). 
The advantages or disadvantages here are so 
slight that they can be disregarded if a more 
important reason for covering or not covering 
develops. Consider, therefore, the remaining 
combinations : 

4. Jack, mid one or more lower than the nine. 
If you do not cover, your partner's king will take, 
but dummy will then hold the ace, ten over your 
queen. If you do cover the jack, your partner 
will hold the K, 9 over dummy's ten. Notice 
here the importance of the nine. 

5. /\, 7, p. You cannot gain by covering; and 
if you do not cover, and declarant is playing the 
criss-cross finesse, your queen will take. 

6. /v, /, and one or more lower than the nine. 
The result is the same as in the previous combina- 
tion. Note, however, that a declarant is less likety 
to play the criss-cross finesse when he lacks the 
nine. If he plays the jack, and you play low, and 

44 



he puts up the ace, he will then have the 0, g 
out against him, and he cannot play the second 
part of the criss-cross without taking a chance 
of the queen's making (as he does in any criss- 
cross), but also of the queen being in your part- 
ner's hand, covering the ten, and thus mak- 
ing the nine good. He would probably, there- 
fore, if finessing at all, either pla}" the jack 
toward the ace and complete the simple finesse, 
or play low to the ace and finesse the second 
round. 

From a consideration of combinations 1,2, and 
3, which we have seen present only slight and 
practically counterbalancing advantages or dis- 
advantages in covering, and of the more im- 
portant combinations 4, 5, and 6, it follows 
that when the jack is led through your queen 
to dummy's A, 10, x, you should not play the 
queen if you think declarant has the king, but 
should cover if you think declarant lacks the 
king. ^ 

This ma}" seem to lead us no great distance, but 
let us see. 

If the suit in question is the trump, is it not 
likely that declarant has the king? Or, conversely, 
is it not unlikely that your partner has both the 
king and the nine? Or, if declarant is pla3dng a 
no-trump, and, as soon as he gets in, opens the 
suit in question with the jack, is it not likely 
either that he has the king, or, if he does not have 
the king, that he has so long a suit that your 

45 



partner's king is not sufficiently guarded to make 
it advisable for you to cover? If he had neither, 
would he not open some other suit? 

In deciding whether to cover, consider whether 
the declarant plays the suit early or late in the 
hand. Consider all the bidding, and the discards; 
consider everything. Reconsider, too, the sug- 
gestion in Chapter III to determine the ability 
of the different players. If declarant is a very 
w^eak player, put the queen on his jack (unless 
it is in the trump suit, in which case your partner 
cannot have enough cards of the suit to make 
covering worth while). Would a weak player 
play the criss-cross finesse? or be likely to lead 
anything but the highest or lowest card from 
K, J, and others? 

Sometimes you will choose the wrong pla\% 
but by acute observation you can usually select 
the right one. Remember, however, that even 
if you diagnose the play correctly as being a 
lead from K, J, and others, it will avail you noth- 
ing if 3^ou reveal your hand by hesitation or some 
mannerism. 

If there is no possible basis for inference (which 
w^ould be a rare case indeed), assume that the 
king is in that hand in which, according to the 
law of averages, it will most frequently be; for 
instance, if you know the declarant and your 
partner each have three cards in the suit, and 
declarant leads the jack, assimie your partner 
has the king. Your partner, with three unknown 

46 



cards of that suit is more likely to have the king 
than declarant, who (besides the jack) has only- 
two unknown cards of that suit. 

A careful study of the proper covering of hon- 
ors second hand should prove helpful in another 
branch of play — leading for a finesse. Man^^ 
finesses are attempted which, against a proper 
defense, must fail of their ultimate object. Such 
finesses need not be abandoned against weaker 
players, but against stronger ones they should, 
if possible, be postponed in the hope of enticing 
the opponents to lead the suit. 

In the foregoing parts of this chapter I have 
considered the covering of honors only with a 
view to making some card good. The determining 
factor may, however, be something else; for in- 
stance, to block a suit. At the end of a no- 
trump hand, declarant plays the king "of spades, 
and you know the cards lie as follows : 



DIAGRAM 12 



A, 9, 3, 2 of spades 



Dummy 



Q, X, X of spades, 
a losing heart 



You 



Your 
Partner 



4 good hearts 



Declarant 



K, J, lo of spades, a losing heart 
47 



After taking the first spade trick with the 
king, declarant plays his jack. (Whether he man- 
aged his end play well is not the question.) 
Though you cannot make a spade good, you must 
cover the jack. Declarant's ten will block dum- 
my's spades. 

The suggestions in Chapter III concerning the 
relative ability of players should also be followed 
in covering honors. Meet a ponderous offensive 
in one way, a brilliant attack in another. 



VIII 



ACE, KING, QUEEN, AND SIX OTHERS IN TWO HANDS 

There is probably no position so frequently 
misplayed as that in which declarant and dummy 
together hold nine cards in a suit, including the 
A, K, Q, but not the jack, with at least one of 
the three high honors in each hand. 

For simplicity's sake, we will assume that the 
nine cards are divided five and four. 

Suppose the distribution is as follows : 

DIAGRAM 13 

A, 4, 3, 2 

Dummy 

Left Right 

You 



K, Q, 10, 6,5 
49 



Assume that the only object is to prevent a 
three-times guarded jack from taking. There is 
not, for instance, if the suit is trumps, any ques- 
tion of ruffing in the weak hand before exhausting 
trumps, etc., etc. 

It is immaterial which hand takes the first 
trick. If the jack is at the left, three times 
guarded, it must take a trick (unless it is led away 
from) ; but if at the right, it can be led through. 

Suppose the position is as follows : 

DIAGRAM 14 
A, 10, 3, 2 

Dummy 
Left Right 
You 



K, Q, 6, 5, 4 

You, holding two high honors, must take the 
first trick. If it then appears that the jack is at 
the left, three times guarded, it can be led through. 
If the ace had taken the first trick, the finesse 
could no longer be taken. If the finesse were 
taken on the first round, it would be a needless 
risk, for the position of the jack is then unknown. 

Suppose the position is as follows: 
50 



DIAGRAM 15 
x\, 10, 3, 2 



Dummy 
Left Right 
You 



K, Q, 9, 5, 4 

You (holding two of the high honors) must 
take the first trick. The jack can then be led 
through, no matter at which side or how w^ell 
guarded. 

The same result follows in this hand : 

DIAGRAM 16 

A, 4, 3, - 



Dummy 

Left Right 
You 



K, Q, 10, 9, 8 

The same result follows here, but unblocking 
may require attention: 

SI 



DIAGRAM 17 
A, 10, 9, 7 



Dummy 



You 



K, Q, 8, 6, 5 

In the foregoing five positions, declarant or 
dummy had the ten. 

Suppose the position is as follows: 

DIAGRAM 18 

A, 4, 3, 2, and a card of re-entry 
Dummy 

Left Right 

You 



K, Q, 9, 8, 7 (and other suits) 

Dummy must take the first trick with the ace. 
The jack, three times guarded, cannot be cap- 
tured if at the left, but can be if at the right, even 
though the next card is the ten. As it takes two 
leads from dummy to accomplish this, note the 
importance of a card of entry in dummy's hand. 

52 



Unblocking may also be important in hands 
similar to Diagram i8; for instance: 

DIAGRAM 19 

K,Q, 7. 5,4 



Dummy 
Left Right 
You 



A, 9, 8, 6 

The six must be retained to unblock. 

In all of the foregoing hands the finesse could 
be taken only one way, Diagrams 13, 14, 18, and 
19; or, if it could be taken both ways, Diagrams 
15, 16, and 17, a high card could first be led to 
ascertain the lay of the cards. But note the 
following hand : 

DIAGRAM 20 

A, 10, 8, 4, with a re-entry 
' 1 

Dummy 
Left Right 
You 



5 



Q, 7, 6, 5 (and other suits) 
53 



If the jack is three times guarded, and at the 
left, it can easily be led through ; or, if at the right, 
it can also be led through by getting into dummy's 
hand twice. But if 3'ou play the king (or queen) 
from your hand to get the lay of the land, you 
can no longer lead through the jack, three times 
guarded at the right. You must, then, determine 
where the jack is most likely to be and play 
accordingly. If you had called a spade, the player 
at the left bid a no-trump, and your partner 
bid two spades, all passing, and the cards in the 
diagram are all spades, every indication would be 
that the jack was at your left. Or, if the player 
at your left bid a heart, your partner and third 
hand passed, and you became the final declarant 
with one spade, and if as soon as the player 
at your left opened with a heart, you concluded 
he had five hearts, and the player at your right 
only two, 3'ou should play as if the player at 
your right had the jack. He has thirteen 
cards, of which two are apparently hearts, leav- 
ing eleven cards, of which four may be spades. 
The player at your left has apparently five 
hearts, leaving onh' eight cards, of which four 
may be spades. The pla3'er at \'otir right must, 
therefore, on the average, hold the jack three 
times guarded mxOre frequently than the player 
at your left. 

In the foregoing hand, notice the importance 
of the seven. Change the seven in 3^oiir hand to 
a lower card, say, as follows: 

54 



Diagram 
A, 10, 8, 4 



Dummy 
Left Right 
You 



K, Q, 6, 5, 3 

If the jack is at your right, 3^ou cannot lead 
through it. After the ace takes, the jack would 
cover the ten, drawing your queen, and the 
nine would cover the eight, drawing your king, 
leaving the seven good. The correct play is, 
therefore, the king (or queen) first, and then, if 
necessary, finessing through the player at the left. 
Here, then, is a hand the correct play of which 
depends upon the position of the seven-spot ! 

The principles of the foregoing play may be 
applied to the following hands also: 

DIAGRAM 22 
J, 9, 3, 2 

Dummy 
Left Right 
You 



K, Q, 8, 7, 6 
55 



DIAGRAM 23 
J, 9,6 



Dummy 
Left Right 
You 



A, K, Q, 8, 7 

I have given the illustrations in this chapter 
not because these long suits occur frequently, or 
because, when they do occur, the other cards 
are usually together — they are, in fact, usually 
divided — but because no situation so thoroughly 
shows the difference between average good play, 
so called, and really scientific bridge. Even ex- 
perienced players will play these situations in 
haphazard fashion and blame a bad break of 
cards when the jack (or, in Diagrams 22 and 23, 
the ten) takes. The expert will eliminate every 
conceivable chance against him, and be stopped 
only by the mathematical impossibility of taking 
all the tricks; or by finding the jack, three times 
guarded, in a hand where it could not be sup- 
posed to be, and where, on the average, it would 
not be. 

In this connection it is timely to say that one 
of the best ways to improve your game is this: 

56 



whenever you have been defeated by an unusual 
distribution of cards, but could have won had 
you known how the cards lay, assume that you 
played unskilfully. Occasionally there are situa- 
tions you cannot foresee, but unless you are un- 
usually expert you will usually find that your 
technique was at fault, or that you overlooked 
some important clue. 



IX 



MISCELLANEOUS 

I. Controlling Adversary's Lead. Suppose at 
your spade make, and after your opponent's 
trumps are out, your combined hands are as 
follows : 

DIAGRAM 24 

I Spade (trump) 

1 losing heart 

2 losing diamonds 
A, J, X of clubs 



Dummy 

I 

V 

Left Right 



You 



2 spades 
No hearts 
2 losing diamonds 
K, 10, X of clubs 
5§ 



Dummy is in the lead. 

You will manifestly lose two diamonds tricks 
and also one club, if your finesse against the queen 
is unsuccessful. By correct play on your part it 
is, however, impossible for you to lose more than 
two tricks, no matter where the queen of clubs is. 
Your first play from dummy is the losing heart, 
which you ruff. You then play a diamond. Op- 
ponents will, no doubt, lead another diamond. 
They must then either lead you a club, which 
will make three tricks in clubs certain for you, 
no matter which opponent leads them or where 
the queen is, or they must lead some other suit 
which will allow you to discard a club in one 
hand and ruff in the other. 

Note the extreme importance of leading the 
heart before the losing diamonds. If you played 
a diamond first, opponents could themselves lead 
diamonds and then a heart, forcing you to ruff 
from your own hand. Now you are compelled 
to try the club finesse and this may, of course, 
fail. 

Preparation for controlling the adverse lead 
may be necessary on the very first trick. Sup- 
pose, at a score of 9-0 in your favor, you bid a 
spade; all pass; the queen of hearts is led, and 
your and dummy's hands are as follows: 



59 



DIAGRAM 25 

J, 10, 4, 3 of spades (trumps) 
X, X, X in hearts 
X, X, X in diamonds 
A. J, X of clubs 



Dummy 



The usual way to play this would be to take 
the first heart trick and then exhaust the adverse 
trumps, f Assimie these are not all in one hand. ) 
You might then attempt to control the adverse 
lead by playing a heart, hoping that the heart 
would be led a third time before the diamonds 
are played three times. But if the opponents 
play the third heart only after three rounds cf 
diamonds, you are compelled to try the club 
finesse. 

The mistake was in the first play. The queen 
of hearts should have been passed. Xo one hav- 
ing bid, you can well aSord to chance a sm.all 
trump being made against you. It is probable 



Leader 
Q of hearts led 



Third hand 
plays low on 
first trick 



You 



A. K. O, X. X of spades 
A, X of hearts 
X, X, X in diamonds 
K, 10, X in clubs 



60 



that another heart will be led, since the leader's 
queen held and the king and ace are still out. If 
led, 3^ou take with the ace, and take two rounds 
of trumps in ^^our own hand, and then put dummy 
in with a spade. Your position is now similar 
to Diagram 24. Dummy plays the losing heart, 
which you ruff, and you then lose at most three 
diamonds. 

If all four trimips against you are in one hand, 
you cannot control the lead with certainty, 
for exhausting opponents' trumps will exhaust 
dummy as well, and ruffing the third heart will 
exhaust your hand also. 

2. Cards of exit. Suppose the last four cards 
in a no-tnmip are as follows : 

DIAGRAM 26 

K, Q of spades 
A, Q of hearts 

Dummy 



You 



A, X of spades 
K, X of hearts^ 



Declarant 



Dimimy leads the king of spades. 
If you take with the ace (and there is, of course, 
no reason whatever for holding off), your small 

61 



spade is a card of exit, and your king of hearts 
must be led to. 

Suppose the last cards are as follows: 

DIAGRAM 27 

Worthless cards 



Dumm}^ 

(?) Kof hearts 

(otherwise Your 
worthless Partner 
cards) 

Declarant 



I spade (trump) 
3 hearts (K ?) 
I good diamond 
no clubs 



No spades 
(trumps) 
A,Q, Jof hearts, 
losing diamond, 
and high club 



You are in the lead. You do not know where 
the king of hearts is, and you would like to have 
the hearts led to 3^ou. You have two cards of 
exit. It may seem immaterial which 3^011 lead. If 
you lead the club, declarant (who we will assume 
has in fact the king of hearts) will ruff, lead his 
good diamond, and put you in with a heart, 
compelling you finally to lead from your tenace. 
If you lead your diamond first, and declarant 
follows with a heart, you can then play your club, 
your second card of exit, and compel another 
lead to your tenace. In other words, having 

63 



two cards of exit, play that one which can be 
taken from you. 

It is frequently necessary to take out an adverse 
card of exit. In the foregoing hand the declarant, 
after you had unskilfully played your club exit 
first, took out your diamond exit. As a rule, 
however, when taking out adverse cards of exit, 
it will be simpler to consider 3^ourself as ridding 
your hand of an unwelcome card of entry. The 
king of diamonds would put declarant in when 
he wishes to be led to, and therefore he first rids 
himself of this card. 

To make this clearer, there follows another 
illustration. This is the same as Diagram 26, 
with the addition of one card : 

DIAGRAM 28 

K, Q of spades 
A, Q of hearts 
X of diamonds 



Dummy 

You 



iV, X of spades 
K, X of hearts 
high diamond 



Dummy leads the king of spades, which you 
take, keeping the small spade as a card of exit, 

63 



If you now play the small spade, dummy can 
throw the lead by playing the diamond. His 
diamond is a card of exit to him; your diamond 
is, for you, an unwelcome card of entry. Before 
returning the spades you therefore play the dia- 
mond. 

You will notice that the subject of cards of 
exit and unwelcome cards of entry is similar to 
controlling the adverse lead. 

3. Postponing trump lead to discard. Postpon- 
ing a trump lead in order to discard is rarely 
misplayed in its simple form. In the following 
hand, declarant discards two clubs on dimimy's 
diamonds before trumps (spades) are led. 



DIAGRAM 29 



9, X, X of spades (trumps 
X, X, X of hearts 
A, K, Q of diamonds 
X, X, X, X of clubs 



Left 
leads 2 of 
diamonds 



Dummy 



Declarant 



Right 



K, Q, J, 10, X, X of spades (trumps) 
A, K, Q of hearts 
X of diamonds 
X, X, X of clubs 

64 



Notice, however, that if declarant also had the 
ace of trumps, he should exhaust trumps first, 
putting dummy in with the nine, and then dis- 
carding. 

The following is another example: 



Left 
leads 2 of 
diamonds 



DIAGRAM 30 

Q, J, 10 of spades (trumps) 

X, X, X of hearts 

A, K, Q of diamonds 

X, X, X, X of clubs 




Right 



A, 9, X, X, X, X of spades 
A, K, Q of hearts 
X of diamonds 
X, X, X of clubs 



Declarant must discard two clubs on dummy's 
diamonds before trying the spade finesse. 

While these simple situations are usually cor- 
rectly played, more complex ones, in which 
the discard is not obvious or ready-made, are 
not. 

You bid a spade, at a score of 12-0 in your 
65 



favor; all pass, and the opening lead, and your 
and dummy's hands are as follows: 



DIAGRAM 31 

10, 9, 8, X of spades (trumps) 
K, Q, J of hearts 
A, X, X of diamonds 
A, X, X of clubs 



Left 
leads 2 of 
clubs 



Dummy 



Right 



A, Q, J, X, X of spades 
X, X of hearts 
X, X, X of diamonds 
X, X, X of clubs 



(The correctness of your bid or dimmiy's is 
not in question.) 

Dummy takes the first trick with his ace. 

If your spade finesse is successful, you will 
establish dimimy's hearts before dummy's ace of 
diamonds is taken out, and discard one of your 
diamonds (or a club, if any are left) on dimimy's 
heart, thus losing only the ace of hearts, one 
diamond, and two clubs. But suppose your spade 
finesse fails. Your opponents may then take two 

66 



club tricks, take out dummy^s ace of diamonds, 
and, when they get in again on the ace of hearts, 
take two diamond tricks, or six in all. You will 
thus get your contract, but just miss game. You 
should, therefore, establish your hearts at once, 
thus preparing a discard. When dummy's ace 
of diamonds is taken out, dummy plays hearts, 
and you discard from your own hand. 

Frequently a discard must be prepared, in 
order to avoid taking a finesse. Suppose you bid 
a spade at a score of 9-0 in your favor; all pass; 
the leader opens with the two of hearts, and your 
hand and dtmimy's are as follows: 

DIAGRAM 32 

10, X, X of spades 
X, X, X of hearts 
A, Q, X, X of diamonds 
K, Q, J of clubs 



Dummy 
Leader 

You 



K, Q, J, X, X, X of spades (trumps) 
A, X, X of hearts 
X, X of diamonds 
X, X of clubs 

67 



Leads 2 
of hearts 



You will lose the ace of trumps, two small 
hearts, the ace of clubs, and the king of diamonds, 
if your finesse fails. But why necessarily try the 
finesse? Arrange a discard at once on dummy's 
clubs. If you have a chance to discard a heart 
on dummy's clubs, do so, and finesse in diamonds 
later; but if you have lost two heart tricks, or 
it may still be possible for you to lose two in 
all, when diamonds are first led, do not risk 
the finesse. Discard on dummy's clubs. 

In postponing a trump lead, to discard or ar- 
range a discard, consider carefully what chance 
you are taking of having an adversary ruff. 
Never postpone a trump lead unnecessarily. In 
the foregoing hand, if after establishing clubs 
and after your hearts are exhausted, you or 
dummy get in while the ace of diamonds is 
still in dummy's hand, do not continue clubs im- 
mediately. Eliminate the chance of a ruff by 
leading trumps. 

Arranging discards is frequently effective in a 
no-trump also. 

4. Taking out opponents' entry. While oppo- 
nents usually take out dummy's cards of entry 
correctly, declarants are liable to overlook taking 
out a possible entry of their opponents. 

You bid a no-trump ; all pass ; the leader plays 
the three of diamonds, and your hand and 
dummy's are as follows: 



68 



DIAGRAM 33 



Q, X, X, X of spades 
A, Q, J of hearts 
7, 6, 5 of diamonds 
X, X, X of clubs 



Dummy 



You 



K, J, X, X of spades 
X, X, X of hearts ' 
A, Q, 4 of diamonds 
A, K, Q of clubs 



You take the first trick witli the queen of dia- 
monds. If you play your heart finesse immedi- 
ately, find the l<:ing at your right and the ace of 
spades at 3^our left, you will not, against correct 
play, be able to go game if the leader has five 
diamonds. The ace of spades is a possible entry, 
and the only one for the leader. You must 
play spades at once. 

If, instead of having the A, K, Q of clubs, you 
held the K, Q, J, there would be two possible 
cards of entry for the leader. You must exhaust 
one. On account of the greater length of the 
spade suit, you play spades. 

6 69 



Left 
leads 3 of 
diamonds 



Right 
plays the J of 

diamonds 



APPENDIX 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION 
By courtesy of the Whist Club, of New York City 

The Rubber 

1. A rubber continues until one side wins two 
games. When the first two games decide the 
rubber, a third is not played. 

Scoring 

2. Each side has a trick score and a score for 
all other counts, generally known as the honor 
score. In the trick score the only entries made 
are points for tricks won (see Law^ 3), w^hich count 
both toward the game and in the total of the rub- 
ber. 

All other points, including honors, penalties, 
slam, little slam, and undertrick^s, are recorded 
in the honor score, which counts onl}^ in the total 
of the rubber. 

3. When the declarer wins the number of tricks 

70 



bid or more, each above six counts on the trick 
score: six points when clubs are trumps, seven 
when diamonds are trumps, eight when hearts 
are trumps, nine w^hen spades are tr-umps, and 
ten when the declaration is no-trump. 

4. A game consists of thirty points made by 
tricks alone. Every deal is played out, whether 
or not during it the game be concluded, and any 
points made (even if in excess of thirty) are 
counted. 

5. The ace, king, queen, knave, and ten of the 
trump suit are the honors; when no-trump is 
declared, the aces are the honors. 

6. Honors are credited to the original holders; 
they are valued as follows: 







WHEN A TRUMP IS 


DECLARED 




honors held between partners 


equal value of 2 tricks 


4 




a < < ii 




5 






5 " 


4 




in I hand 

( 5th in 


8 


4 


it 


" I partner's 
' hand 


j " " 9 " 








5 


1 1 




10 " 



WHEN NO TRUMP IS DECLARED 

3 aces held between partners count 30 

4 " " " " " 40 
4 " in one hand 100 



1 Frequently called "simple honors." 
71 



7- Slam is made when partners take thirteen 
tricks.^ It counts loo points in the honor score. 

8. Little slam is made when partners take 
twelve tricks.^ It counts 50 points in the honor 
score. 

9. The value of honors, slam, or little slam, is 
not affected by doubling or redoubling. 

10. At the end of a rubber the side that has 
won two games scores a bonus of 250 points. 

The trick, honor, and bonus scores of each 
side are then added and the size of the rubber is 
the difference between the respective totals. 

The side having the higher score wins the rub- 
ber. 

11. When a rubber is started with the agree- 
ment that the play shall terminate {i. e., no new 
deal shall commence) at a specified time, and the 
rubber is unfinished at that hour, the score is 
made up as it stands, 125 being added to the 
score of the winners of a game. A deal, if started, 
must be finished. 

12. A proved error in the honor score may be 
corrected at any time before the score of the 
rubber has been made up and agreed upon. 

13. A proved error in the trick score may be 

1 Law 84 prohibits a revoking side from scoring slam, and provides 
that tricks received by the declarer as penalty for a revoke shall not 
entitle him to a slam not otherwise obtained. 

2 Law 84 prohibits a revoking side from scoring little slam, and pro- 
vides that tricks received by the declarer as penalty for a revoke shall 
not entitle him^ to a little slam not otherwise obtained. When a declarer 
bids 7 and takes twelve tricks he counts 50 for little slam, although his 
declaration fails. 

72 



corrected at any time before a declaration has 
been made in the following game, or, if it occur 
in the final game of the rubber, before the score 
has been made up and agreed upon. 

Cutting 

14. In cutting the ace is the lowest card; 
between cards of otherwise equal value the spade 
is the lowest, the heart next, the diamond next, 
and the club the highest. 

15. Every player must cut from the same pack. 

16. Should a player expose more than one card, 
the highest is his cut. 

Forming Tables 

17. Those first in the room have the prior 
right to play. Candidates of equal standing 
decide their order by cutting; those w^ho cut 
lowest play first. 

18. Six players constitute a complete table. 

19. After the table has been formed, the 
pla^'Crs cut to decide upon partners, the two lower 
play against the two higher. The lowest is the 
dealer, who has choice of cards and seats, and, 
having made his selection, must abide by it.^ 

20. The right to succeed players as they retire 
is acquired by announcing the desire to do so, 
and such announcements, in the order made, 
entitle candidates to fill vacancies as they occur. 

1 He may consult his partner before making his decision. 

73 



Cutting Out 

2 1. If, at the end of a rubber, admission be 
claimed by one or two candidates, the player or 
players who have played the greatest number of 
consecutive rubbers withdraw; when all have 
played the same number, they cut to decide upon 
the outgoers; the highest are out.^ 

Right of Entry 

22. At the end of a rubber a candidate is not 
entitled to enter a table unless he declare his 
intention before any player cut, either for part- 
ners, for a new rubber, or for cutting out. 

23. In the formation of new tables candidates 
who have not played at an existing table have 
the prior right of entry. Others decide their right 
to admission by cutting. 

24. When one or more pla^^ers belonging to 
an existing table aid in making up a new one, 
which cannot be formed without him or them, 
he or they shall be the last to cut out. 

25. A player belonging to one table who en- 
ters another, or announces a desire to do so, 
forfeits his rights at his original table, unless the 
new table cannot be formed without him, in 
which case he may retain his position at his orig- 
inal table by announcing his intention to return 
as soon as his place at the new table can be filled. 

26. Should a player leave a table during the 

1 See Law 14 as to value of cards in cutting. 

74 



progress of a rubber, he may, with the consent of 
the three others, appoint a substitute to play dur- 
ing his absence; but such appointment becomes 
void upon the conclusion of the rubber, and does 
not in any way affect the rights of the substitute. 

27. If a player break up a table, the others 
have a prior right of entry elsewhere. 

Shuffling 

28. The pack must not be shuffled below the 
table nor so the face of any card be seen. 

29. The dealer's partner must collect the cards 
from the preceding deal, and has the right to 
shuffle first. Each player has the right to shuffle 
subsequently. The dealer has the right to shuf- 
fle last, but should a card or cards be seen during 
his shuffling or while giving the pack to be cut, 
he must reshuffle. 

30. After shuffling, the cards, properly col- 
lected, must be placed face downward to the left 
of the next dealer, where they must remain 
untouched until the end of the current deal. 

The Deal 

31. Players deal in turn; the order of dealing 
is to the left. 

32. Immediately before the deal, the player on 
the dealer's right cuts, so that each packet con- 
tains at least four cards. If, in or after cutting, 
and prior to the beginning of the deal, a card be 

75 



exposed, or if any doubt exist as to the place of 
the cut, the dealer must reshuffle and the same 
player must cut again. 

33. After the pack has been properly cut, it 
should not be reshuffled or recut except as pro- 
vided in Law 32. 

34. Should the dealer shuffle after the cut, his 
adversaries may also shuffle and the pack must 
be cut again. 

35. The fifty-two cards must be dealt face 
downward. The deal is completed when the last 
card is dealt. 

36. In the event of a misdeal, the same pack 
must be dealt again by the same player. 

A New Deal 

37. There must be a new deal: 

(a) If the cards be not dealt, beginning at the deal- 

er's left, into four packets, one at a time and 
in regular rotation. 

(b) If, during a deal, or during the play, the pack 

be proved incorrect. 
{c) If, during a deal, any card be faced in the pack 

or exposed, on, above, or below the table. 
{d) If more than thirteen cards be dealt to any 

player.^ 

(e) If the last card do not come in its regular order 
to the dealer. 

(/) If the dealer omit having the pack cut, deal out 
of turn or with the adversaries* cards, and 
either adversary call attention to the fact be- 
fore the end of the deal and before looking at 
any of his cards. 

1 This error, whenever discovered, renders a new deal necessary. 
76 



38. Should a correction of any offense men- 
tioned in 37 (/) not be made in time, or should 
an adversary who has looked at any of his cards 
be the first to call attention to the error, the 
deal stands, and the game proceeds as if the deal 
had been correct, the player to the left dealing 
the next. When the deal has been with the 
wrong cards, the next dealer may take which- 
ever pack he prefers. 

39. If, prior to the cut for the following deal, 
a pack be proved incorrect, the deal is void, but 
all prior scores stand. ^ 

The pack is not incorrect when a missing card 
or cards are found in the other pack, among the 
quitted tricks, below the table, or in any other 
place which makes it possible that such card or 
cards were part of the pack during the deal. 

40. Should three players have their proper 
number of cards, the fourth, less, the missing 
card or cards, if found, belong to him, and he, 
unless dummy, is answerable for any established 
revoke or revokes he may have made just as if 
the missing card or cards had been continuously 
in his hand. When a card is missing, any player 
may search the other pack, the quitted tricks, 
or elsewhere for it.^ 

If before, during, or at the conclusion of play, 

1 A correct pack contains exactly fifty-two cards, one of each denom- 
ination. 

2 The fact that a deal is concluded without any claim of irregularity 
shall be deemed as conclusive that such card was part of the pack 
during the deal. 

77 



one player hold more than the proper number of 
cards, and another less, the deal is void. 

41. A player may not cut, shuffle, or deal for 
his partner if either adversary object. 

41a. A player may not lift from the table and 
look at any of his cards until the end of the deal. 
The penalty for the violation of this law is 25 
points in the adverse honor score for each card 
so examined. 

TJie Declaration 

42. The dealer, having examined his hand, 
must either pass or declare to win at least one 
odd trick, ^ either with a specified suit, or at no- 
tmmp. 

43. The dealer having declared or passed, each 
player in turn, beginning on the dealer's left, 
must pass, make a higher declaration, double the 
last declaration made by an opponent, or redouble 
an opponent's double, subject to the provision of 
Law 54. 

44. When all four players pass their first op- 
portunity to declare, the deal passes to the next 
player. 

45. The order in value of declarations from the 
lowest up is clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, no- 
tnmip. 

To overcall a declaration, a player must bid, 
either 

1 One trick more than six, 

78 



(a) An equal number of tricks of a more valuable 

declaration, or 

(b) A greater number of tricks. 

E.g., 3 Spades over 3 diamonds; 5 clubs over 
4 hearts; 4 diamonds over 3 no-tnmip. 

46. A player in his turn may overbid the pre- 
vious adverse declaration any number of times, 
and may also overbid his partner, but he cannot 
overbid his own declaration which has been passed 
by the three others. 

47. The player who makes the final declara- 
tion^ must play the combined hands, his partner 
becoming dummy, unless the suit or no-trump 
finally declared was bid by the partner before it 
was called by the final declarer, in which case the 
partner, no matter what bids have intervened, 
must play the combined hands. 

48. When the player of the two hands (herein- 
after termed "the declarer") wins at least as 
many tricks as he declared, he scores the full 
value of the tricks won (see Law 3).^ 

48a. When the declarer fails to win as many 
tricks as he declares, neither he nor his adver- 
saries score anything toward the game, but his 
adversaries score in their honor column 50 points 
for each undertrick (i. e., each trick short of the 
nimiber declared). If the declaration be doubled, 
the adversaries score 100 points; if redoubled, 
200 points for each undertrick. 

1 A declaration becomes final when it has been passed by three players. 

2 For amount scored by declarer, if doubled, see Laws 53 and 56. 

79 



49- If a player make a declaration (other than 
passing) out of turn, either adversary may de- 
mand a new deal, may treat such declaration as 
void, or may allow such declaration to stand. 
In the latter case the bidding shall continue as if 
the declarations had been in turn. A pass out 
of turn, or a bid declared void does not affect 
the order of bidding — i. e., it is still the turn of 
the player to the left of the previous declarer. 
The player who has bid out of turn may re-enter 
the bidding in his proper turn without penalty, 
but if he has passed out of his turn, he may 
only do so in case the declaration he has passed 
be overbid or doubled. 

If a declaration out of turn be made and the 
proper declarer then bid, such bid shall be con- 
strued as an election that the declaration out of 
turn is to be treated as void. 

50. If a player make an insufficient declaration, 
either adversary may demand that it be made 
sufficient in the declaration named, in which case 
the partner of the declarer may not further declare 
unless an adversary subsequently bid or double. 

50a. If a player who has been debarred from 
bidding under Laws 50 or 65, during the period 
of such prohibition, make any declaration (other 
than passing), either adversary may decide 
whether such declaration stand, and neither the 
offending player nor his partner may further 
participate in the bidding even if the adversaries 
double or declare. 

30 



5o6. A penalty for a declaration out of turn 
(see Law 49), an insufficient declaration (see Law 
50), or a bid when prohibited (see Law 50a) may 
not be enforced if either adversary pass, double, 
or declare before the penalty be demanded.^ 

50c. Laws which give to either adversary the 
right to enforce a penalty do not permit unlimited 
consultation. Either adversary may call atten- 
tion to the offense and select the penalty, or may 
say, ''Partner, you determine the penalty," or 
words to that effect. Any other consultation is 
prohibited, 2 and if it take place the right to de- 
mand any penalty is lost. The first decision made 
by either adversary is final and cannot be altered. 

51. At any time during the declaration, a 
question asked by a player concerning any pre- 
vious bid must be answered, but, after the final 
declaration has been accepted, if an adversary 
of the declarer inform his partner regarding any 
previous declaration, the declarer may call a lead 
from the adversary whose next turn it is to lead. 
If the dimimy give such information to the de- 
clarer, either adversary of the declarer may call 
a lead when it is the next turn of the declarer to 
lead from either hand. A player, however, at 
any time may ask what declaration is being played 
and the question must be answered. 

1 When the penalty for an insufficient declaration is not demanded, 
the bid over which it was made may be repeated unless some higher 
bid has intervened. 

2 The question, "Partner, will you select the penalty, or shall I?'! 
is a form of consultation which is not permitted. 

81 



52. A pass or double once made may not be 
altered. 

No declaration may be altered after the next 
player acts. 

Before action by the next player a no-trump or 
suit declaration may be changed 

(a) Tc correct the amount of an insufficient bid. 

(b) To correct the denomination but not the size 

of a bid in which, due to a lapsus lingucB, a 
suit or no-trump has been called which the 
declarer did not intend to name. 

No other alteration may be made. 

Doubling and Redoubling 

53 . Doubling and redoubling doubles and quad- 
ruples the value of each trick over six, but it 
does not alter the value of a declaration — e. g., 
a declaration of "three clubs" is higher than 
"two spades" doubled or redoubled. 

54. Any declaration may be doubled and re- 
doubled once, but not more; a player may not 
double his partner's declaration, nor redouble his 
partner's double, but he may redouble a declara- 
tion of his partner which has been doubled by 
an adversary. 

The penalty for redoubling more than once 
is ICQ points in the adverse honor score, or a 
new deal; for doubling a partner's declaration, 
or redoubling a partner's double it is 50 points in 
the adverse honor score. Either adversary may 

demand any penalty enforceable under this law. 

82 



55- Doubling or redoubling reoj^ens the bid- 
ding. When a declaration has been doubled or 
redoubled, any one of the three succeeding players, 
including the player whose declaration has been 
doubled, may, in his proper turn, make a further 
declaration of higher value. 

56. When a player whose declaration has been 
doubled wins the declared number of tricks, he 
scores a bonus of 50 points in his honor score, 
and a further 50 points for each additional trick. 
When he or his partner has redoubled, he scores 
ICQ points for making the contract and an addi- 
tional 100 for each extra trick. 

57. A double or redouble is a declaration, and 
a player who doubles or redoubles out of turn 
is subject to the penalty proAdded by Law 49. 

58. After the final declaration has been ac- 
cepted, the play begins; the player on the left 
of the declarer leads. 

Dummy ^ 

59. As soon as the player on the left of the 
declarer leads, the declarer's partner places his 
cards face upward on the table, and the declarer 
plays the cards from that hand. 

60. The partner of the declarer has all the" 
rights of a plaA^er (including the right to call at- 
tention to a lead from the wrong hand), until 
his cards are placed face upward on the table. ^ He 

1 For additional laws affecting dummy, see 51 and 93. 

2 The penalty is determined by the declarer (see Law 66). 

83 



then becomes the dummy, and takes no part 
whatever in the play, except that he has the 
right: 

(a) To call the declarer's attention to the fact that 
too many or too few cards have been played 
to a trick. 

{b) To correct an improper claim of either adversary. 

(c) To call attention to a trick erroneously taken by 

either side. 

(d) To participate in the discussion of any disputed 

question of fact after it has arisen between 
the declarer and either adversary. 

(e) To correct an erroneous score. 

(/) To consult w^ith and advise the declarer as to 
which penalty to exact for a revoke. 

(g) To ask the declarer whether he have any of a 
suit he has renounced. 

The dummy, if he have not intentionally looked 
at any card in the hand of a player, has also 
the following additional rights: 

(//-) To call the attention of the declarer to an es- 
tablished adverse revoke. 

{i) To call the attention of the declarer to a card 
exposed by an adversary or to an adverse 
lead out of turn. 

' 6i. Should the dummy call attention to any 
other incident in the play in consequence of 
which any penalty might have been exacted, 
the declarer may not exact such penalty. Should 
the dtmimy avail himself of rights (h) or (i), 
after intentionally looking at a card in the hand 

84 



of a player, the declarer may not exact any pen- 
alty for the offense in question. 

62. If the dummy, by touching a card or other- 
wise, suggest the play of one of his cards, either 
adversary may require the declarer to play or 
not to play such card. 

62a. If the dummy call to the attention of 
the declarer that he is about to lead from the 
wrong hand, either adversar>^ may require that 
the lead be made from that hand. 

63. Dimmiy is not subject to the revoke pen- 
alty; if he revoke and the error be not discovered 
until the trick be turned and quitted, whether 
by the rightful winners or not, the revoke may not 
be corrected. 

64. A card from the declarer's hand is not 
played until actually quitted, but should he 
name or touch a card in the dimim}^ such card 
is played unless he say, ''I arrange," or words 
to that effect. If he simultaneously touch two 
or more such cards, he may elect which to play. 

Cards Exposed Before Play 

65. After the deal and before the declaration 
has been finally determined, if an}^ player lead 
or expose a card, his partner may not thereafter 
bid or double during that declaration,^ and the 
card, if it belong to an adversary of the eventual 
declarer, is subject to call.^ When the partner 

1 See Law 50a. 

2 If more than one card be exposed, all may be called. 

7 85 



of the offending player is the original leader, the 
declarer ma}^ also prohibit the initial lead of the 
suit of the exposed card. 

66. After the final declaration has been ac- 
cepted and before the lead, if the partner of the 
proper leader expose or lead a card, the declarer 
ma}^ treat it as exposed or may call a suit from 
the proper leader. A card exposed by the leader, 
after the final declaration and before the lead, 
is subject to call. 

Cards Exposed During Play 

67. After the original lead, all cards exposed 
by the declarer's adversaries are liable to be called 
and must be left face upward on the table. 

68. The following are exposed cards: 

(1) Two or more cards played simultaneously. 

(2) A card dropped face upward on the table, even 

though snatched up so quickly that it cannot 
be named. 

(3) A card so held b\' a player that his partner sees 

any portion of its face. 

(4) A card mentioned b}^ either adversary' as being 

held in his or his partner's hand. 

69. A card dropped on the floor or elsewhere 
below the table, or so held that it is seen b\' an 
adversary but not by the partner, is not an 
exposed card. 

70. Two or more cards played simultaneously 
by either of the declarer's adversaries give the 
declarer the right to call any one of such cards 

86 



to the current trick and to treat the other card 
or cards as exposed. 

70a. Should an adversary of the declarer ex- 
pose his last card before his partner play to 
the twelfth trick, the two cards in his partner's 
hand become exposed, must be laid face upward 
on the table, and are subject to call. 

71. If, without waiting for his partner to play, 
either of the declarer's adversaries play or lead 
a wanning card, as against the declarer and dimimy 
and continue (without waiting for his partner to 
play) to lead several such cards, the declarer 
may demand that the partner of the player in 
fault win, if he can, the first or any other of these 
tricks. The other cards thus improperly played 
are exposed. 

72. If either or both of the declarer's adver- 
saries throw his or their cards face upward on 
the table, such cards are exposed and liable to be 
called; but if either adversary retain his hand, 
he cannot be forced to abandon it. Cards ex- 
posed by the declarer are not liable to be called. 
If the declarer say, "I have the rest," or any 
words indicating the remaining tricks or any 
number thereof are his, he may be required to 
place his cards face upward on the table. He is 
not then allowed to call any cards his adversaries 
may have exposed, nor to take an}^ finesse not 
previously proven a winner unless he announce it 
when making his claim. 

73. If a plaver who has rendered himself liable 

87 



to have the highest or lowest of a suit called 
(Laws 80, 86, and 92) fail to play as directed, 
or if, when called on to lead one suit, he lead 
another, having in his hand one or more cards 
of the suit demanded (Laws 66, 76, and 93), or 
if, when called upon to win or lose a trick, he fail 
to do so when he can (Laws 71, 80, and 92), or 
if, when called upon not to play a suit, he fail 
to play as directed (Laws 65 and 66), he is liable 
to the penalty for revoke (Law 84) unless such 
play be corrected before the trick be turned and 
quitted. 

74. A player cannot be compelled to play a card 
which would oblige him to revoke. 

75. The call of an exposed card may be re- 
peated until it be played. 

Leads Out of Turn 

76. If either adversary of the declarer lead out 
of turn, the declarer may either treat the card 
so led as exposed or may call a suit as soon as it 
is the turn of either adversary to lead. Should 
they lead simultaneously, the lead from the proper 
hand stands, and the other card is exposed. 

77. If the declarer lead out of turn, either 
from his own hand or dummy, he incurs no 
penalty, but he may not rectify the error unless 
directed to do so by an adversary.^ If the second 
hand play, the lead is accepted. 

1 The rule in Law 50c as to consultations governs the right of adver- 
saries to consult as to whether such direction be given. 

88 



78. If an adversary of the declarer lead out 
of turn, and the declarer follow either from his 
own hand or dummy, the trick stands. If the 
declarer before playing refuse to accept the lead, 
the leader may be penalized as provided in Law 76. 

79. If a player called on to lead a suit have 
none of it, the penalty is paid. 

Cards Played in Error 

80. Should the fourth hand, not being dummy 
or declarer, play before the second, the latter 
may be required to pla}^ his highest or lowest 
card of the suit led, or to win or lose the trick. 
In such case, if the second hand be void of the 
suit led, the declarer in lieu of any other penalty 
may call upon the second hand to play the highest 
card of any designated suit. If he name a suit 
of which the second hand is void, the penalty 
is paid.^ 

81. If any one, except dimimy, omit playing 
to a trick, and such error be not corrected until 
he has played to the next, the adversaries or either 
of them may claim a new deal; should either 
decide that the deal stand, the surplus card (at 
the end of the hand) is considered played to the 
imperfect trick, but does not constitute a revoke 
therein.^ 

82. When any one, except dummy, plays two 

1 Should the declarer play third hand before the second hand, the 
fourth hand may without penalty play before his partner. 

2 As to the right of adversaries to consult, see Law 50cr. 

39 



or more cards to the same trick and the mistake 
is not corrected, he is answerable for any conse- 
quent revokes he may make. When the error 
is detected during the play, the tricks may be 
counted face downward, to see if any contain 
more than four cards; should this be the case, 
the trick which contains a surplus card or cards 
may be examined and such card or cards restored 
to the original holder.^ 

The Revoke ^ 

83. A revoke occurs when a player, other than 
dummy, holding one or more cards of the suit 
led, plays a card of a different suit. It becomes 
an established revoke when the trick in which 
it occurs is turned and quitted by the rightful 
winners (i. e., the hand removed from the trick 
after it has been turned face downward on the 
table), or when either the revoking player or his 
partner, whether in turn or otherwise, leads or 
plays to the following trick. 

84. The penalt}^ for each established revoke is: 

(a) When the declarer revokes, he cannot score for 

tricks and his adversaries add joo points to 
their score in the honor column, in addition 
to an}^ penalty which he may have incurred 
for not making good his declaration. 

(b) When either of the adversaries revokes, the de- 

clarer may either add 100 points to his score 

1 Either adversary may decide which cards shall be considered played 
to the trick which contains more than four cards. 

2 See Law 73. 

^ 90 



in the honor column or, take three tricks from 
his opponents and add them to his own.^ 
Such tricks may assist the declarer to make 
good his declaration, but shall not entitle 
him to score any bonus in the honor column 
in case the declaration has been doubled or 
redoubled, nor to a slam or little slam not 
otherwise obtained. ^ 
(c) When, during the play of a deal, more than one 
revoke is made by the same side, the penalty 
for each revoke after the first is loo points. 

The value of their honors is the only score that 
can be made by a revoking side. 

85. A player may ask his partner if he have a 
card of the suit which he has renounced; should 
the question be asked before the trick be turned 
and quitted, subsequent turning and quitting 
does not establish a revoke, and the error may be 
corrected unless the question be answered in 
the negative, or unless the revoking player or 
his partner have led or played to the following 
trick. 

85a. Should the dimimy leave the table during 
the play, he may ask his adversaries to protect 
him from revokes during his absence; such pro- 
tection is generally called ''the courtesies of the 
table" or "the courtesies due an absentee." 

If he make such request the penalty may not 
be enforced for a revoke made by the declarer 
during the dimimy's absence unless in due season 

1 The dummy may advise the declarer which penalty to exact. 

2 The value of the three tricks, doubled or redoubled, as the case may 
be, is counted in the trick score. 

91 



an adversary have asked the declarer whether 
he have a card of the suit he has renounced. 

86. If a player correct his mistake in time to 
save a revoke, any pla^^er or players who have 
followed him may withdraw his or their cards 
and substitute others, and the cards so with- 
drawn are not exposed. If the player in fault be 
one of the declarer's adversaries, the card played 
in error is exposed, and the declarer may call it 
whenever he pleases, or he may require the of- 
fender to play his highest or lowest card of the 
suit to the trick. 

86a. If the pla^^er in fault be the declarer, 
either adversary may require him to play the high- 
est or lowest card of the suit in which he has re- 
nounced, provided both his adversaries have 
played to the current trick; but this penalty 
may not be exacted from the declarer when he is 
fourth in hand, nor can it be enforced at all from 
the dimimy. 

87. At the end of the play the claimants of a 
revoke may search all the tricks. If the cards 
have been mixed, the claim may be urged and 
proved if possible; but no proof is necessary 
and the claim is established if, after it is made, 
the accused pla^^er or his partner mix the cards 
before they have been sufficiently examined by 
the adversaries. 

88. A revoke cannot be claimed after the cards 
have been cut for the following deal. 

89. Should both sides revoke, the only score 

92 



permitted is for honors. In such case, if one side 
revoke more than once, the penalty of loo points 
for each extra revoke is scored by the other side. 

General Laws 

90. A trick turned and quitted may not be 
looked at (except under Law 82) until the end of 
the play. The penalty for the violation of this 
law is 2 5 points in the adverse honor score. 

91. Any player during the play of a trick or 
after the four cards are played, and before the 
trick is turned and quitted, may demand that 
the cards be placed before their respective players. 

92. When an adversary of the declarer, before 
his partner plays, calls attention to the trick, 
either by saying it is his, or, without being re- 
quested to do so, by naming his card or drawing 
it toward him, the declarer may require such 
partner to play his highest or lowest card of the 
suit led, or to win or lose the trick. 

93. An adversary of the declarer may call his 
partner's attention to the fact that he is about 
to play or lead out of turn; but if, during the 
play, he make any unauthorized reference to any 
incident of the play, the declarer may call a suit 
from the adversary whose next turn it is to lead. 
If the dummy similarly offend, either adversary 
may call a lead when it is the next turn of the 
declarer to lead from either hand. 

94. In all cases where a penalty has been 

93 



incurred, the offender is bound to give reasonable 
time for the decision of his adversaries. 

New Cards 

95. Unless a pack be imperfect, no player has 
the right to call for one new pack. When fresh 
cards are demanded, two packs must be furnished. 
When they are produced during a rubber, the 
adversaries of the player demanding them have 
the choice of the new cards. If it be the beginning 
of a new rubber, the dealer, whether he or one of 
his adversaries call for the new cards, has the 
choice. New cards cannot be substituted after 
the pack has been cut for a new deal. 

96. A card or cards torn or marked must be 
replaced by agreement or new cards furnished. 

Bystanders 

97. While a bystander, by agreement among 
the players, may decide any question, he should 
not say anything unless appealed to; and if he 
make any remark which calls attention to an 
oversight affecting the score, or to the exaction 
of a penalty he is liable to be called upon by the 
players to pay the stakes (not extras) lost. 

Etiquette 0} Auction 

In the game of Auction slight intimations con- 
vey much information. The code succinctly 
states laws which fix penalties for an offense. 



To offend against etiquette is far more serious 
than to offend against a law; for in the latter 
case the offender is subject to the prescribed 
penalties ; in the former his adversaries are with- 
out redress. 

1. Declarations should be made in a simple 
manner, thus: ''one heart," ''one no-tnmip," 
"pass," "double"; they should be made orally 
and not by gesture. 

2. Aside from his legitimate declaration, a 
player should not show by word or gesture the 
nature of his hand, or his pleasure or displeasure 
at a play, bid, or double. 

3. If a player demand that the cards be placed, 
he should do so for his own information and not 
to call his partner's attention to any card or play. 

4. An opponent of the declarer should not 
lead until the preceding trick has been turned 
and quitted; nor, after having led a winning card, 
should he draw another from his hand before 
his partner has played to the current' trick. 

5. A card should not be played with such em- 
phasis as to draw attention to it, nor should a 
player detach one card from his hand and sub- 
sequently play another. 

6. A player should not purposely incur a 
penalty because he is willing to pay it, nor 
should he make a second revoke to conceal a first. 

7. Conversation during the play should be 
avoided, as it may annoy players at the table 
or at other tables in the room. 

95 



8. The dummy should not leave his seat to 
watch his partner play. He should not call 
attention to the score nor to any card or cards that 
he or the other players hold. 

9. If a player say, ''I have the rest," or any 
words indicating that the remaining tricks, or 
any number thereof, are his, and one or both of 
the other players expose his or their cards, or 
request him to play out the hand, he should not 
allow any information so obtained to influence 
his play. 

10. If a player concede, in error, one or more 
tricks, the concession should stand. 

11. A player having been cut out of one table 
should not seek admission in another unless 
willing to cut for the privilege of entry. 



THE END 



\ 



